Top Shelf: Devils prepare for life without Brodeur

For years people have wondered what the New Jersey Devils would do for a No. 1 goaltender when Martin Brodeur finally decides to lay down his pads.

In a much bigger surprise than the Colorado Avalanche picking Nathan MacKinnon
over Seth Jones at No. 1, the Devils provided the answer to that question at
Sunday's NHL Entry Draft, landing Cory Schneider in a shocking deal with the
Vancouver Canucks.

It was a moment made even more memorable because it happened at the home of
the Devils, who were hosting this year's draft at the Prudential Center in
downtown Newark. The crowd roared in approval when the deal was announced, but
the trade will not be as well-received in Vancouver.

While the 41-year-old Brodeur, an obvious first-ballot Hall of Famer, still
has one season remaining on the two-year deal he signed last summer, there is
no doubt this move begins the passing of the torch in the Devils' crease.

Whether it will be a successful transition is another story completely.

Just like the New York Yankees will figure out after this season when they
have to find a replacement for closer Mariano Rivera, it is no easy task to
replace a legend. Guys like Brodeur and Rivera have set the bar so high during
their careers that the players who attempt to fill the void are bound to fall
short.

Schneider isn't the second-coming of Brodeur, but that's OK because neither
is anybody else, and Lou Lamoriello, the Devils general manager since 1987,
knows that better than anyone. Lamoriello has watched Brodeur shatter all
sorts of NHL goaltending records while leading New Jersey to three Stanley Cup
titles, and he'd be proud if Schneider can deliver a fraction of that success.

In Schneider, the Devils get a 27-year-old American who, until recently, was
the presumptive No. 1 goaltender of the future in Vancouver. After all, the
Canucks spent over a year trying to trade goaltender Roberto Luongo to any
team that would listen, but now it seems Vancouver is willing to move forward
with Bobby Lu as the top option in net.

Of course, that's if Luongo still wants to play with the Canucks. The former
Vancouver captain said all the right things while Vancouver GM Mike Gillis was
on a mission to deal him, but his desire to stay with the Canucks into next
season is unknown.

Even if Luongo is fine with returning to his role as Vancouver's undisputed
No. 1 netminder, this trade can hardly feel like a victory for the Canucks
organization. After accepting defeat that Luongo's immense contract made it
impossible to flip him for equal value, the Canucks were forced to deal
Schneider instead.

Gillis and the Canucks were reportedly seeking not only a first-round pick for
Schneider, but also an NHL roster player, In the end, they settled for the
ninth overall pick of this year's draft, a selection that netted Vancouver
centerman Bo Horvat.

Meanwhile, Luongo's initial thoughts on Schneider being traded suggests this
deal could get worse for Gillis and the Canucks. Luongo spoke to TSN's James
Duthie, who then revealed the goaltender's comments via Twitter. Let's just
say Luongo left plenty of room for doubt regarding his desire to stay in
Vancouver.

"Roberto Luongo: 'I'm shocked! I have to let this sink in and figure out what
I'm going to do'" read Duthie's tweet.

If Luongo takes long to "figure out" his next step in light of the Schneider
deal, this situation has the ability to turn into a nightmare for Gillis and
his front office. The trade already looks bad because Gillis received less
than what he was asking for Schneider. If Luongo refuses to play with the
Canucks or demands to be traded, it will be hard for Gillis to pretend his
strategy didn't blow up in his face.

Of course, the Canucks eventually could use a compliance buyout to erase
Luongo's contract, a deal that carries an annual $5.33 million cap hit through
the 2021-22 season, but it would be extremely difficult for Gillis to treat
that scenario as a victory.

On the other hand, the only thing the Devils need to figure out is what kind
of split Brodeur and Schneider will get in terms of starts next season. New
Jersey still could plan on using Brodeur as its No. 1 in 2013-14 and utilize
Schneider as a backup, or let the younger guy take the lead in his first
season with New Jersey.

Either way, it would be surprising to see Brodeur or Schneider get well above
50 percent of the starts next season. Schneider was part of a successful
goaltending tandem with Luongo in Vancouver and a similar scenario could work
for one season with Brodeur.

Brodeur is one of those players who has become synonymous with the franchise
he represented, and it couldn't have been easy for Lamoriello to admit it was
time for a contingency plan.

Judging by the reaction from his fan base, Lou chose the right time and right
place to make the move. Whether he chose the right player to replace Brodeur
is a story for another day.